Biden-Harris Administration Announces North Carolina Selectees to Receive Over $1.2 Million in Grants to Help Businesses Prevent Pollution as Part of Investing in America Agenda

Biden-Harris Administration Announces North Carolina Selectees to Receive Over $1.2 Million in Grants to Help Businesses Prevent Pollution as Part of Investing in America Agenda

November 1, 2024

• East Carolina University (ECU) has been selected to receive $652,664. ECU will provide technical assistance to businesses in and adjacent to communities with environmental justice concerns identified using publicly available tools. They will focus on reductions in toxic chemicals, hazardous air and greenhouse gas emissions, and water usage in businesses under all five National Emphasis Areas. ECU will also conduct P2 and lean manufacturing training courses and on-site training for workers and engineers across North Carolina.
• The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has been selected to receive $350,000. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has partnered with the University of Southern Maine, the University of Maryland, and the Toxics Use Reduction Institute at the University of Massachusetts Lowell to target technical assistance to breweries. The universities will focus on reducing the use of hazardous cleaning and sanitizing chemicals, wastewater production, water usage and greenhouse gas emissions.
• The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) has been selected to receive $242,220. The NCDEQ's Environmental Stewardship Initiative (ESI) promotes and encourages superior environmental performance by the state's regulated community. NCDEQ will provide training and technical assistance on environmental management system development and implementation, P2 strategies, and regulatory compliance guidance. NCDEQ will support members and other businesses under all five National Emphasis Areas. NCDEQ will also work to institutionalize, integrate, replicate, and amplify pollution prevention practices through training, technical assistance, recognition, networking, and sharing of best practices and program achievements.

"We are gratified to see so many selectees for these pollution prevention grants in EPA's Southeast Region," said acting Regional Administrator Jeaneanne Gettle. "Pollution prevention is an important component in addressing environmental issues, and it is the most cost-effective method in reducing environmental pollution."

In total, EPA announced 48 selectees across the country that will collectively receive nearly $19 million in grants to support states, Tribal Nations, and U.S. territories in providing technical assistance to businesses to develop and adopt pollution prevention (P2) practices in local communities. Thanks to President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, nearly half of the funds awarded this year were made available with no cost share/match requirement.

Pollution prevention, also known as P2 or source reduction, is any practice that reduces, eliminates, or prevents pollution at its source prior to recycling, treatment, or disposal. Preventing pollution at the source rather than managing waste afterwards is an important way to support American business' efforts to reduce costs, while protecting communities from exposure to toxic chemicals and conserving natural resources. These practices are essential for protecting health, improving environmental conditions-including in and around disadvantaged communities-and preserving natural resources like wetlands, groundwater sources, and other critical ecosystems.

Between 2011-2022, EPA's Pollution Prevention program issued over 500 grants totaling more than $54 million, which have helped businesses identify, develop, and adopt P2 approaches. These approaches have resulted in 31.9 billion kWh in energy savings, eliminated 20.8 million metric tons of greenhouse gases, saved 52 billion gallons of water, reduced 1 billion pounds of hazardous materials, and saved businesses more than $2.3 billion.

The agency expects to award funds once all legal and administrative requirements are satisfied. Once awarded, selected grantees will document and share P2 best practices that they identify and develop through these grants, so that others can replicate these practices and outcomes. Each selected grantee will also develop at least one case study during the grant period on P2 practices that are new or not widely known or adopted, or where detailed information on the P2 practices could benefit other businesses or P2 technical assistance providers.

The grants funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will be fully funded upon being awarded, with individual grant awards as high as $350,000. Grants that are a part of the traditional P2 grants program will be funded over a two-year funding cycle and require a cost share/match of fifty percent. EPA's Pollution Prevention Grant Program advances President Biden's Justice40 Initiative which set a goal to deliver 40% of the overall benefits from certain federal investments to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution. The full list of selections can be found below, and the selected project summaries can be found on EPA's Pollution Prevention website.

Background
President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law made a historic $100 million investment in EPA's P2 Program, more than doubling the funding for P2 grants. The first round of 39 awards funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law was announced in September 2022 and the second round of 24 awards was announced October 2023.

The list of selections can be found below, and the selected project summaries can be found on EPA's Pollution Prevention website.

Read more about P2 and EPA's P2 Grant Program

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